Police: Post-Christmas safety tips

Tuesday

Dec 30, 2008 at 7:47 AM

The holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to ignore safety measures, such as insuring expensive gifts, Gainesville police said.

Sun staff report

The holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to ignore safety measures, such as insuring expensive gifts, Gainesville police said.Police advised residents to follow safety tips that would help them protect gifts they recently received, such as being careful when throwing away boxes from items such as a new television or computer.- Break down boxes from gifts when putting trash out to make sure people don’t know what you received, such as a stereo system or gaming system. “It wouldn’t be hard for a burglar to figure out where to look to score valuable electronics,” said police spokeswoman Officer Summer Hallett.- Since many people rent homes in Gainesville, they should consider renter’s insurance. For those who have it, make sure it covers additional items received over the holidays.- Write down the serial numbers of any electronics received. It’s also a good idea to take a picture of the item, such as jewelry, especially if it doesn’t have a serial number.- If you received a large amount of cash or a check for the holidays, don’t leave it sitting around. “You don’t want to leave the checks and/or cash lying around in case it is stolen,” Hallett said.